Boiling Point: Feeding finicky felines

Tabby suddenly turns up his nose even at the expensive brand? Time to hit the kitchen and cook him some simple food.

Jim Hillibish

I am not what you would call a cat person. I tolerate them; they ignore me. As my new T-shirt proclaims, I’m a “Dogfather.”

I’ve never spent enough time with cats to penetrate the wall they erect around themselves. I hear stories about funny, evocative, loving cats, but I never have witnessed this.

Anyway, this is a cooking column, and I’m sure by now some of you are worried there may be some cat stew in here. Nope. This week, we’re feeding the finicky felines.

Unlike dogs, which would eat the kitchen linoleum if they could get it up, cats are highly selective. Hence the strange ads where they’re served in crystal, on pillows, no less. It’s not that cats hate food — they’d just like to kill their own, thank you.

Cat owners can face food bills for their felines approaching human ones. There’s a lot of human guilt in those ads, and it’s paying off, $1.40 a serving.

A cat, for no apparent reason, will suddenly reject his food. They’re telling you something here — get busy already.

I’m suggesting you can make your own cat food inexpensively that also addresses common cat problems, such as lack of vitamins or faltering appetite. Cats even more than dogs are what they eat. However, changing their diets can be tricky. Here’s where home cooking soars, even if it goes against our habit for opening expensive flat cans.

If your cat’s coat is dull and lifeless, he needs more vitamins. Try this to add calcium, carbohydrate plus iron and protein:

Mash the mackerel and combine with the remaining ingredients. Mix well and drop 1/4 teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cats can suddenly turn sour on even the most expensive of foods. What they’re doing is rebelling against the richness. They typically want simple yet tasty food: